Two sources confirm that the Oklahoma Republican tumbled into the fountain at the National Building Museum where the gala was being held.

This wasn’t some quick toe-in-toe-out of a shallow fountain. The senator took a serious dive. When he emerged, he was soaked to his neck, his suit was sopping and “water had to be poured from his cowboy boots.”

“That’s just a natural reaction to making the Time 100 list,” quipped Coburn spokesman John Hart.

Picture of the offending National Building Museum fountain. Image is from another event with a similar set up to Wednesday’s. (Photo courtesy BishBash.com)

It could be. Or this just might have been great Neptune’s revenge on Coburn for pooh-poohing a 2012 fountain restoration project in Lancaster, Pa.

In the February 2012 issue of the Coburn Pork Report, the senator called out Shippensburg University officials’ plan to use $135,000 of their federal stimulus dollars to completely revamp the university’s fountain.

Vengeance direct from the gods is never kind, and the great god of the sea does like to make a bit of a splash every now and again.

In all seriousness, the event wasn’t a complete wash for Coburn. Before taking a dip, the senator and his wife, Carolyn, took home the prize for American Regional Cuisine for their Bison Sliders.

And for the March of Dimes, the event was a major success. More than 600 people attended the gala and more than $925,000 was raised to support the March of Dimes programs to further the mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.